介子是自旋为整数、重子数为零的强子，参与强相互作用。介子属于强子类。它是比电子重的带电或不带电的粒子。

根据夸克模型，介子是由一个夸克和一个反夸克组成的束缚态，这一对夸克和反夸克可以是不同味的，例如π＝(ud¯)，π＝(ūd)，J/ψ＝(cc)，F＝(cs)等。

自旋为0的介子，在量子场论中是用标量波函数描述，根据其宇称为-1或+1分别称为赝标介子和标量介子。自旋为1的介子，在量子场论中是用矢量波函数描述，根据其宇称为-1或+1分别称为矢量介子或轴矢介子。根据其内部量子数，已发现的介子可分为非奇异介子（π、ρ、J/ψ等）、奇异介子（K、Q、K等）、粲－非奇异介子（D）、粲-奇异介子（F）、底－非奇异介子（B）等。

In particle physics, mesons (/ˈmiːzɒnz/ or /ˈmɛzɒnz/) are hadronic subatomic particles composed of one quark and one antiquark, bound together by the strong interaction. Because mesons are composed of sub-particles, they have a physical size, with a diameter of roughly one fermi, which is about ⁄₃ the size of a proton or neutron. All mesons are unstable, with the longest-lived lasting for only a few hundredths of a microsecond. Charged mesons decay (sometimes through intermediate particles) to form electrons and neutrinos. Uncharged mesons may decay to photons.